(25-10-2015 07:49 AM)Hafnof Wrote: I'm about 90% sure I saw a substantial meteorite above Logan the other week. I think I heard a crash and looked up to see something resembling the Russian meteorite captured on video be many not that long ago. This was much smaller, at night, and I didn't feel any kind of shockwave. I've seen small meteorites streak quickly across the sky before but this was bigger, brighter, and seemed to be moving on a slower arc.

Once you head out bush not too far from Brisbane you can often see satellites make their way across the sky. So what's the coolest thing you've seen out there with your own eyes or captured why your own telescope or binoculars?

Last year in February I saw a giant orange glowing shape and several small glowing orange shapes that moved along at the same speed before winking out suddenly. It was the shape of a king's crown with regular protrusions sticking up from the top. That's the best way I can describe it. I saw it 3 times over the next two days and so did my daughters. I almost got a photo of it with my 300 mm lens but just as I was going to push the shutter it disappeared. But before it did it went slowly behind one of the mountain peaks to the east of us about 40 miles. I scaled it off of the map by noting its width in comparison to the peak. If it was right behind the peak then it was over 600 ft. wide. If further away from the peak then it was much bigger. At the distance of 40 miles it was the size of the full moon in width. When I first saw it it was roughly three times the width of the full moon. My first thought when I saw it the first time was that the sun was rising at 8:20 PM and that was a weird experience. My brain just couldn't process what I was seeing.

Do not lose your knowledge that man's proper estate is an upright posture, an intransigent mind and a step that travels unlimited roads. - Ayn Rand.

Don't sacrifice for me, live for yourself! - Me

The only alternative to Objectivism is some form of Subjectivism. - Dawson Bethrick

(25-10-2015 07:49 AM)Hafnof Wrote: I'm about 90% sure I saw a substantial meteorite above Logan the other week. I think I heard a crash and looked up to see something resembling the Russian meteorite captured on video be many not that long ago. This was much smaller, at night, and I didn't feel any kind of shockwave. I've seen small meteorites streak quickly across the sky before but this was bigger, brighter, and seemed to be moving on a slower arc.

Once you head out bush not too far from Brisbane you can often see satellites make their way across the sky. So what's the coolest thing you've seen out there with your own eyes or captured why your own telescope or binoculars?

Another time I was staying with some people and they had a big telescope on their back screened in porch. I asked them one night if I could play with it, not knowing much about how to use it. I pointed it at the brightest star. It took a while to get it centered in the telescope but I finally did and got it focused. It was then that I realized it wasn't a star but Saturn. I could see the rings clearly and just make out the faint color of the bands. It was really amazing.

Do not lose your knowledge that man's proper estate is an upright posture, an intransigent mind and a step that travels unlimited roads. - Ayn Rand.

Don't sacrifice for me, live for yourself! - Me

The only alternative to Objectivism is some form of Subjectivism. - Dawson Bethrick

I look at the sky quite a bit.
1) from an airplane over the badlands of South Dakota at 10,000 feet, not much in the way of light pollution or atmospheric haze. The milky way looked more like a stripe of white paint, it was so bright.
2) flying north over south central western Washington, we watched what was probably a communication satellite do a slow burn into the atmosphere, straight out in front of us. Just lucky to be flying in that direction at that time.
3) this time on a commercial flight from SEA to IAH (Houston). There was a layer of clouds below us and the lowest lightning I had ever seen, backlighting the clouds from below. Usually you have to go around active lightning producing cells.

About 1999, we were driving in the desert on an old road, and we saw a B2 with fighter escort flying by (not far from Edward's AFB). As that bomber banked, it disappeared from visual, to reappear later when it rotated again. Pretty damned cool.

About 2005, I saw a brilliant light slowly descending from the sky. It took a few seconds to realize that it was a meteorite's trail, where its path was pretty much parallel to my path of travel (heading towards me, I think). Just a long, slow fall. Very cool!

Hale-Bopp comet while I spinning in the resturant at the top of the Westin in Los Angles.

Spending an afternoon by myself sitting on the dock of our lake house watching two osprey dive for fish over & over no more than 50 yards away. They would hit the water like a bullet, bring it up and turn it in its talons while flying off to a nearby tree to eat.

It was funnel cloud trying to form over the intracoastal in Corpus Christi on a mostly clear day. Here is a wider view. The way it just kinda chopped the end of could off was something I'd never seen before.